


At Ease

by JazzRaft



Series: daemon / hunter [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9806138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzRaft/pseuds/JazzRaft
Summary: Gladio tries to teach Ravus the necessity behind taking a break.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on [tumblr](http://jazzraft.tumblr.com/post/156387538182/hey-3-i-dont-know-if-you-still-take-prompts-if) for #21 in [this prompt post.](http://jazzraft.tumblr.com/post/156180067603/send-me-two-characters-or-more-and-a-prompt-and)

“No one has a heart of stone.”

“And there’s no better way to prove it than with a chocobo!”

The fact that he had no desire to “prove it” notwithstanding, Ravus estimated that there were plenty of “better ways” one could gauge the level of human decency than with a chocobo. Regardless, Prompto could not be dissuaded and, worse, he had Gladio backing his little theory. For some reason, the swordsman had taken it upon himself to help Ravus “lighten up” since he’d joined them on their crusade. For what purpose and to what end, Ravus could not even begin to fathom.

There was no tactical benefit to “lightening up.” The whole world was under siege by forces far greater than even the Empire’s lust for conquest. There were plans to be made, advantages to seize, allegiances to solidify, orders to give and to follow. Time was quickly slipping through their fingers. They couldn’t waste a second of it.

And yet, here they were, trudging around this stinking cesspool of avian feces and grease-stained peasantry, Prompto trotting ahead like a ten-year-old tourist with Noctis’s wrist clutched in his hand and Ignis following behind with a series of admonishments like an exasperated housewife. This would not be the first nor the last time that Ravus regretted allowing himself to be coerced into aligning himself with these idiots.

“Ease up, or you’ll scare the chocobos with that face of yours.”

Gladiolus slapped his back, an overt gesture of friendliness that Ravus had yet to get used to. He still bristled a little bit at the end of each contact, the clenching of his shoulders going ignored by the perpetrator of his discomfort. The intimacy of their little brotherhood was an entirely new concept to Ravus, full of amiable touches and teasing and without any boundaries. To be so unguarded amidst one’s comrades was not a lesson Ravus had ever learned whilst climbing the ranks of the Niflheim army.

Gladiolus was about to follow after his charges before he noticed that Ravus refused to move from where he’d exited the Regalia. He crossed his arms and hooded a glare at him, a stance that Ravus faultlessly mirrored, arching a brow as if to challenge the man.

“There’s only one way this is going,” Gladiolus warned him.

“I agree.”

The space between them lit with an electric charge, their separate ideas of “one way” clashing like two broadswords. Ravus was not going to weaken his hold this time, though. Many a situation had arisen such as this one since his inception into the party. Gladio never ceased to drag Ravus into areas outside of his comfort zone, and Ravus had always failed at escaping him when he did. Not this time.

“Why are you so hell-bent against having a little fun?” Gladiolus started, shifting his weight onto one leg. Getting comfortable for a long debate.

“I fail to see any reason behind indulging in such frivolous activities.”

“That’s the whole point of having fun. You don’t need a reason.”

Ravus felt his forehead wrinkle in a confusion he was trying not to show. “If there’s no reason, then what is the point?” he asked, trying to make it sound more like a statement than a question.

Gladiolus watched him for a moment, eyes unreadable and hard as amber. There was something very dangerous about that which Ravus found fascinating and intimidating in a way he could only respect, even when it was himself that was at their mercy. He couldn’t tell whether or not Gladio was considering just hauling him by the collar and forcing him to interact with these animals against his will. He couldn’t tell much of anything from that stare. It reminded Ravus why he’d been such a formidable foe – and why he was an even more valuable ally.

“Okay,” Gladiolus said after a while, nodding slowly. “You want a reason. I’ll give you one.” (Ravus was half sure “reason” was the name of his fist before he continued.) “Treating yourself to a good time raises your morale. I figure that’s not really something you have to worry about when half your army’s made of metal, huh?”

Ravus forced himself to endure his stare, refusing to be dissuaded by the fact that this man _might_ know a _little_ more than him about how to command _actual_ men; not program complex algorithms into an avatar of darkness and electricity. Gladio wasn’t convinced.

“Human soldiers need some motivation to keep them fighting. They have to believe that there’s something worth putting their own lives on the line for. Whether it’s something you’ve sworn your whole life to protect” – he nodded over at Noctis – “or something that just makes you smile” – he turned his head to where Prompto was laughing as a chocobo nibbled at his hair – “we need reminding of all the good things out there that give us a reason to fight the bad things.”

Ravus considered Prompto, giggling like a child at the chocobo feathers tickling his face. He watched Noctis, hiding his grin behind his friend’s camera as he captured a few frames of the scene to immortalize. He looked at Ignis, watching the both of them, shaking his head in exasperation, but smiling nonetheless.

“War doesn’t often give soldiers an opportunity like this,” Gladio added, quietly. “We’re lucky that we’re able to indulge in moments like these. It’s what keeps our hearts from turning to stone.”

He hearkened back to his earlier statement, and fixed Ravus in a knowing look. It suggested that Ravus was dangerously close to forgetting what was really worth fighting for in these dark times. And Ravus couldn’t really argue with him. His intentions had always been to keep his lone light safe, his Luna. But those intentions were twisted up with envy and pride, warping his motivations even to himself.

While he’d been hesitant to recognize it before, his distance from the Empire had afforded Ravus a certain amount of clarity. It was like a curtain being drawn, and letting sunlight into a dark room. Slowly at first, but gradually growing as the light was adjusted to. He wasn’t sure that the man he left behind in Niflheim would have agreed with Gladio.

“I suppose I see your point,” he mumbled, although it was hard to accept around the stench of the outpost.

Gladio grinned in amusement, noting the wrinkling of Ravus’s nose. “So maybe chocobos aren’t your idea of fun. But it’s always a good place to start towards finding out what you really like to do. Come on, I’ll show you how to feed one.”

Gladio swung an arm over Ravus’s shoulder, still unexpected and still overbearing any struggle Ravus might have made against it. He huffed in resignation and let the man lead him over to join the rest of the group. While Ravus himself didn’t wholly see the charm in chocobos – at least, not on the level that perhaps Prompto did – he was able to see Gladio’s point the longer he observed his fellow travelers’ delight.

There was a moment during his ruminations where he caught Gladio smirking victoriously at him, and Ravus hurriedly turned away, feeling his face burning. Why did he always have to be right?


End file.
